Fantôme Printemps

Brewed by Brasserie Fantôme
Style: Saison
Soy-Erezée, Belgium

(Bottled) Hazy reddish amber with a smallish, lemonadey and quickly fading head. Very citrus-fruity and beautifully perfumy aroma with lots of spices (orange-peel, coriander, etc.). Lightly tart and heavily fruity, lightly spicy and pleasantly perfumy-hoppy flavor. Medium-bodied, somewhat foamy-carbonated, dryish and very refreshing palate. Like a saison with some lambic added - lovely, balanced and refreshing! The yeast is not bad, but better be left out still. Drink it straight from the fridge!

Mondial 2005. Good cork explosion. Incredible amount of foam in initial pour, that the sever poured off just foam for Olivier. Creamy smooth, creamy finish. Yeasty, fruity. Unknown spices, woodiness

Pours amber and orange hues with big 1 inch tan head. High carbonation is expressed through effervescent bubbles that rocket upward. Loose lacing for a Fantome. The aroma was incredibly subtle at first. After my 4th sniff, I received hints of dried apricots and some citrus notes. More apricot on the tongue, as well as cherry, cork, and an aftertaste of the farmhouse hay that I enjoy from these beers. Dry, clean finish with a rounded mouth-feel. Refreshingly tart, balanced, and satisfying. This is why I love saisons.

Bottle. Pours a hazy yellowish color with a white fluffy head. With little yeast particles floating all around. Wonderful aroma...that barnyard funk that fantome is known for, grass, apple fresh cut herbs...maybe some thyme, and marjoram. Great flavor in this one. Lots of Apple, mustiness, funk, fresh cut grass, wheat, banana and clove. Nice mouthfeel very smooth, nice champangne like carbonation. Another great Saison from the master brewers at Fantome.

hazy pour with a decent sized white head...nose was full of funk and grass...flavor was very earthy/citrus/yeasty with a dry finish

750 into trusty Duvel glass. I must confess: I’ve neglected Fantome until now. I was exposed to Fantome in my beer geek infancy, and I wasn’t ready. Too funky, too weird. Now, I don’t think it’s weird at all, simply beautiful. Uncorked this one with a pop and was immediately assailed by the funk. A nose in the glass discovers snappy carbon dioxide released from the bubbles and yeasty acidity I associate with older, well-aged bottles of Orval. As it warms, dark twiggy things come out in the smell. Flavor and texture in this piece are perfectly married. Initially there’s a rush of limey acid, mouthwatering, riding the tickling carbonation. The middle stays juicy, but other things come to play too. It doesn’t get bogged down in cottony yeastiness like other wild brews, but rather the cardamom and light spiciness stays light and vibrant. The finish is long and lingering, and different waves of flavors drop in to visit: honeydew, lightly buttered bread, light sea salt. Awesome.

75cl bottle, 2004 bottling Lovely pour! Light lemony barnyard nose. Lemon, peppery, spicy beer. Light drinking with some lingering complexity(herbs in the finish?). Super. Has that "what am I tasting?" mysterious quality. Great mix of barnyard, herbs, hops, and malt...nothing seems to be fighting, they just exist together in harmony. (21/08/04) Same vintage bottle, drinking this one 18APR05.........I’m glad to see I rated this one so high, and I might even think it should be bumped up a bit, but it matters not...what stood out to me most in this drinking was the malt...a very nice malty beer, with good body, and lots of subtle hints and allusions. Simply wonderful.

A very well carbonated beer, after carefully pouring this beer to create as little foam as possible, I still end up with a three-finger thick head that almost runs over the top of my tulip glass. The head forms a rocky, yet fluffy surface, which sits atop a fully hazy orangish straw gold color. As I pour this beer I get aromatic notes of Fantôme funk; lightly sour with a solid fruity interface. The aroma is quite fruity; it smells of apples, melon, pears and even some tart plum like notes. The aroma is so light and refreshing, just so inviting and so typically embodying the best of Fantôme aromatics.

The beer is nice and light on the palate, easily quaffable, and with its high carbonation almost ephemerally as it vaporizes on the tongue. This beer has a nice, noticeable, yet not dominating sour tartness to it that reminds me of pears, and a tart green apple. This beer is quite fruity, even though there is almost no sweetness left in this beer. It is quite dry with a nice grain character that shows just under the dominant fermentation character. This beer is so refreshingly light, a perfect beer for hot weather (interestingly enough it has been almost 90*F here today). There is not a whole lot to say about this beer other than it is an incredible Saison!

<font size=-4>Purchased from: <a href=http://www.ratebeer.com/Place/arizona/scottsd Brewing Co, Scottsdale, AZ<font size=-1>